Marisol Imports presents a quick travel tour of the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico. We meet local Zapotec families who describe their traditional weaving process and show us where to eat and the best places to stay. Discover the ancient Tule Tree, the ruins of Mitla, the beautiful temple church of Teotitlan, and how to make Mezcal! Presented in Spanish with English subtitles by Danice Crawford & Ismael Gutierrez for Marisol Imports.

There’s nothing like being woken up in the dark by the booming sounds of exploding cannons and projectiles whistling overhead….. er, what? I’m suddenly very awake and very confused wondering if the pueblo is under attack and why the the electric connectors are being blown up. After a few tense seconds I laugh in relief; this isn’t Libya or Japan, it’s nearly dawn on Benito Juárez’s birthday and this rural Mexican valley is echoing in booming celebration of the first indigenous native president in the Western Hemisphere. These fireworks are HUGE audio phenomenon (very illegal in the United States), and they certainly do justice to the man from Oaxaca who was the first Mexican leader without a military background, and of full indigenous Zapotec blood, who rose from a shepherd and field hand to lawyer, served five terms as president of Mexico (1858-1872), resisted the French occupation, overthrew the conservative monarchial empire, restored the Republic, and used liberal efforts to modernize the country.

The story of Benito Juárez isn’t my only history lesson lately. Throughout my business trip in Oaxaca, it has been fascinating to discover fresh nuances in a culture I thought I knew so well. While purchasing rugs for Marisol Imports and discussing life with several old friends and members of master weaving families here in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, I have come to discover that a) almost everyone here believes in a giant generally invisible feathered serpent that either flies or lives in the caves under the church, depending on whom you speak to, and it is not often spoke of and not Quetzalcóatl b) the famous annual Guelaguetza dance ceremony in the capitol city of Oaxaca actually gets its name from the Zapotec practice of extending mutual favors over time, as needed and c) the main reason there are 5 brass bands for a town of 10,000 is because in addition to birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and general revelry, there are now 7 Fridays before Easter, and every one of these occasions requires that a band make it’s way through the streets and duly notify everyone of the goings on. Preferably at dawn and again at dusk.

It’s a fun place, but in-between the horn solos, quick laughs and bright colors, a marked somber placidity abounds. Perhaps this is because it is a community of artisans, sensitive to the waxings and wanings of emotion and creative expression. Or maybe the pressures of the modern world, combined with economic strain, are taking their toll on a traditional indigenous community. My friend informs me that yes, times are hard, but it’s not like everyone here is carrying a safety machete, like in neighboring towns, so he isn’t concerned. I make a point of observing these tides of sentiment, and do my best to be sincere, positive and in tune with my kung fu. Later, I join my hosts and the band’s evening procession through the cobbled streets. This time, the tuba players fade off and allow the crowd and religious leaders to sing their soft prayers at each candlelit vigil, “…que Dios illumine nuestro entendimiento…” they continue murmuring. Indeed. Y, con su labor construyes su futuro.

The first thought entering my mind upon descending the plane onto the wet tarmac was “El Olor de Miel.” The smell of honey. I’m back in Mexico for the first time in 6 years, returning to the village where I learned to speak Spanish at 5, play basketball at 10, and drive a Datsun at 15. Teotitlan del Valle is renowned by anthropologists and tourists alike as the quintessential Mexican Indian village, unique in it’s artistic & cultural Zapotec weaving heritage. For me, Teotitlan is the home of 5 families whose artistry enabled my my family and theres to simultaneously lift ourselves out of our single room cabins and adobe huts into relatively unprecedented levels of prosperity and cooperation during the 1980s and 1990s; their homes are here in Oaxaca, in the valley of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec , and mine is on the edge of the high country in Colorado.

My parents made over 70 trips from Boulder to Teotitlan del Valle over the past 30 years and were able to grow Marisol Imports, Inc. from a tiny rug & fabric store into a well known home furnishings company operating throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Now, as we face this new era of global economic crisis and related challenges, I am proud to be back in the village, alone, working directly with the sons and daughters of the original 5 families who made this town so prosperous for the previous generations, and considering what the future holds for traditional artisans and small business people.

We’re off to a fantastic start. There’s something about getting away from the bustle of the new American lifestyle with it’s constant communication and multiple multi-tasking add nauseum, and focusing on like, 2 things at a time rather than 5. This deep in Mexico, we are over 1000 miles away from the violence in Ciudad Juarez, people speak Zapotec and Spanish, and I’m slowly remembering to switch from our bizarre American system of measurement back to worldwide Metric. My good friend, Ismael Gutierrez and myself, both 28, are bringing the work of our fathers, Dennis Crawford & Genaro Gutierrez, slowly into the 21st century as we spend hours en la casa reviewing rug designs, taking photographs, attempting to sync our computer operations through anticuated PC computers and state of the art HP and Mac laptops, battling formating between Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Picture Manager, HP Photosmare, iPhoto and the Windows Photo Gallery, and discovering how to share our work through Yahoo, Google, WordPress, and the fascinating world of online social media.

Sobre todo, above all, it is the lasting power of friendship and language that is resonating the most in my mind tonight. As Genaro said as we made our way from the turmoil of the city into the familiarity of the village, catching up on the chisme y noticias, the gossip and news, the goings on of our families and the world, “Solo hay una vida” he says. “Tienes que prestar atencion.”